LAURA

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hey my lovely readers I really appreciate you guys and please note laura and inna live in Maje a village in Jigawa state. Thanks

Laura’s POV:

We stood by the road side for almost an hour but no car came. The transport union man there told us that it was because it’s still early in the morning.
A car came and park before us, the man driving the car came down and talked with the union man. We don’t know what he told the man but the union man came to meet us
‘Mama an samu mota [mama the car Is available now] but it is going to kano’, where are you going? he asked Inna while pointing to the car the man parked.
We were so surprised because the car does not look like a commercial car rather it looks like those private cars.
As if the man read our mind ‘don’t worry the man comes here from time to time, he is a personal driver but his master use to send him on errand to kiyawa here so anytime he is going back he picks passengers from here to get little money’
After hearing that all doubt was cleared from our mind. ‘Yes we are going to kano’ Inna replied him.
Inna gave him our transport fare and before you know it we were on our way to kano.
‘mama ina kwana [good morning mama] how is everybody at home] the driver greeted Inna.
Inna that was seating on the passenger seat answered his greeting and before sometime the started talking among themselves like they have known each other before.
“so inna where am I going to drop you or rather which area are you going to let me drop you off because I am going to Abuja” he asked us when we got to kano.
Inna sighed ‘ you are going to Abuja? Please take us with you we are no longer dropping here in kano we are going to Abuja we will give you your transport fare don’t worry’
The man looked at us suspiciously and said ok no problem.
That was how we started another journey to Abuja. I wonder what Inna was thinking telling him we are going to Abuja after I am very sure she and I have never been to Abuja unlike Kano where she onced lived there.
Two hours into our journey we got to a big city the man parked the car and got down to buy akara from a woman by the road side.
He came back with three different black nylon. He gave one to Inna and another one to me. ‘This is kaduna it seems you have never been here, we still have a long way to go before we reach Abuja that is why I bought breakfast for us’ he said
We thanked him before we started eating too. After we were done eating we continued our journey.
“ my name is babangida and if you don’t mind mama why are you going to Abuja when it seems the both of you have never been there?’ he asked inna.
‘First please call me Inna and we are going to Abuja with my granddaughter to start our lives afresh’ Inna replied him
‘But you know Abuja is a big city this one that you don’t know anybody where will you stay?’ he asked again.
‘ we don’t know were but all I know is I will not allow my only granddaughters life be ruined’ she replied him
‘ what do you mean’ he asked curiously.
That was how Inna told him how I was about to be forced into marriage and we had to runaway but she did not tell him about the money she had with her. Because she did not know if she could trust him yet.
He sighed ‘Inna what you did  was right but if you wouldn’t mind I want to help you with the little I can that is if you would allow me to’
Inna smiled and said ‘why not as it seems now you are our only hope’
‘ok then there is this room for rent in our compound somebody vacated there last month my wife and I live there’.
Inna’s smile grew wider ‘that’s a very good news I hope it is not expensive’
‘no Inna its not expensive I live there to it is located in Garki village I will take you to my house first my wife will give you food before I come back’
‘malam are you going somewhere if we get there’ I spoke for the first time.
‘yes laura right?’ he asked and continued before I could say anything ‘from now on call me yaya babangida and yes I am going to take back this car to my bosses house but I will come back because we need to go see the landlord of the house today’
‘may Allah bless you and may he grant all your heart desire, thank you for wanting to help us even though you don’t know us’ Inna thanked him.
‘Inna no problem I’m just trying to help too’

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‘wow ya babangida so you mean this is Abuja , it is very beautiful and big one can get lost in it’ I said while looking through the window.
He laughed and took another turn ‘you will not get lost once you know some major places’.
Inna who has been sleeping for sometime woke up then too and asked ‘Are we there yet’
‘yes Inna we are almost at my house’ he replied her.
We got to an area that does not have those tall building but the houses there are still good compared to the mud house we have in the village.
‘ya babangida where is this place’ I asked curiously again.
Ya babangida who was about to park the car laughed again because I have been asking him endless question since we got here ‘Laura we are in garki village and this is my house’ he pointed to a house not far from where he parked the car. ‘ come down lets go inside my wife is already waiting for us I have called her and told her’
We came down from the car I carried my bag from the trunk while he carried Inna’s. when we entered the house ya babangida pointed to a room on the left which was beside three other rooms on the left side of the house and said. ‘that is the room I was talking about’ he then ushered us to the right side of the house where to door where far away from each other. He opened one of the door with a key and  entered  and told us to follow him.
It was a small sitting room with tv and chairs arranged and in the far corner of the room a refrigerator is kept. He told us to sit down before entering one of the two doors in the sitting room.
He came out of the room and a woman followed behind him it was obvious from her face she was sleeping before he woke her up.
They both sat on a chair opposite us. The woman smiled and said ‘ good morning inna and laura right? How was the trip.’
Inna replied her greeting before I replied her too ‘ Good morning ma’
She smiled and said ‘Laura kenan call me Anty sa’adatu ok?’
I nodded before smiling.
‘Let me bring water for you’ she stood up and entered another door which I assume is the kitchen.
‘the children are in school they will come back later you can meet them then’ said ya babangida.
Anty sa’adatu came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with water on it. She kept it before us and told us to drink.
Yaya babangida stood up ‘let me go now to report to my boss I will come back later and on my way I will go to the landlords house to talk about the room I showed you’. He said before leaving.